The case in summary: A Polish lorry train was stopped and locked at Svinesund by the National Roads Administration due to serious congestion. The wagon train had a total weight of 82 tonnes, which is 32 tonnes more than permitted. A fee of NOK 338,000 was issued, and the wagon train will be held until the fee is paid. The head of the Norwegian Road Administration describes the situation as “extremely serious” and “directly dangerous to traffic”. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The Polish wagon train was discovered along a road in Halden on Tuesday evening and taken to Svinesund for inspection by the National Road Administration. It came driving from Vestfold, loaded with a sight. The total weight was 82 tonnes. That is 32 tonnes more than the tow truck is allowed to carry. Since the wagon train did not have a dispensation for either excess weight or length, a fee of NOK 338,000 was issued. – It is a rather serious case of nuisance, says head of the Norwegian Road Administration’s office at Svinesund Øyvind Grotterød. This wagon train was stopped, and is now locked up at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Photo: Statens vegvesen It was a patrol that was out on its way back from another mission that happened to spot the vehicle. Øyvind Grotterød takes the nuisance very seriously. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen / news – Then the crews suspected that something was not right here. The vehicle was on its way out of Norway, and it is clear that it is not good, says Grotterød. In addition to the fee for excess weight, the bill can be even greater for the transport company. The entire heavy load must be moved to another vehicle that is permitted to carry it. – Direct traffic hazard The vehicle was taken to the growth station at Svinesund to be weighed. – Then it was a fact that the vehicle was directly dangerous to traffic, says Grotterød. – I see this as extremely serious. There may be strain on our road network, for example bridges. Also, vehicles, neither tires nor brakes, are built for such a load. The leader of the truck owners’ association in Østfold, Erik Graarud, reacts to the overload. Photo: Benjamin Vorland Andersrød – When you talk about more than 10 tonnes of overloading in relation to what the car is approved for, then it has gone far beyond the scope when it comes to traffic safety, says Erik Graarud. He is the leader of the Truck Owners’ Association in Østfold. – Either it is poorly planned or it is done deliberately. Graarud explains that with such a large load there must be more axles on the tractor. The maximum permitted weight of a wagon train without a dispensation in Norway is 60 tonnes. – It is very good that the road service stopped the lorry train. Remains stuck It is rare for the Swedish Road Administration to stop a truck train with such a heavy load. – Most road users take into account that the vehicles are built and designed for a certain load. It takes months and maybe years before you come across crazy congestion charges like this, says Grotterød. It is the company, and not the driver, who is responsible for paying the fee. And until the money is transferred, the train remains locked with a fixed wheel lock. – This can take time, because there is a large amount of money to be transferred. It may not be so easy to keep it in the bedside drawer. From experience, it can take days or weeks before it is paid. Published 23.10.2024, at 13.34
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Must pay a fee of several hundred thousand – news Østfold – Local news, TV and radio
